Shadows of the Past
by MasterofHearts1313
Summary: After Thriller Bark has been destroyed and Gecko Moria was defeated, Dr. Hogback and Absalom took their leader away from the ruins of their old ship. However, has teh dernaged Dr. Hogback learned from the past and have a change of heart?
1. Chapter 1

Well, to start off, this first chapter occurs right after Thriller Bark. Well, right after the defeat of Gecko Moria. You see, this scene opens up on the Dr. Hogback, Absalom, and Moria leaving Thriller Bark on their smaller ship. I'll let the story continue the rest.

---

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 1: Of Deer and Lion

Dr. Hogback stood at the railing of the ship he and Absalom had used to leave Thriller Bark, allowing them to rescue their feared leader, Gecko Moria. His shaded eyes watched over the horizon, passively watching the sun.

Absalom turned from the steering wheel, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the demented doctor's back. "Hey, Hogback, you have been standing there all day. It's really kind of creepy. Creepback. What is it that you are thinking about?"

Dr. Hoback jumped slightly at being acknowledged, but he soon calmed himself down and turned to face his lion-mawed associate. "Well, it probably would not interest you so much, but I was wondering what is going to happen to us from here." He crossed his arms behind his back. "You see, I have spent more than ten years serving under Gecko Moria, and you have spent nearly just as long. Now, though, all that work and effort has profited us nothing."

Absalom turned back to the steering wheel. "You're right. I don't want to hear about this."

Dr. Hogback became startled, gesturing frantically with his arms. "Blast it, you stupid animal! I haven't had a halfway decent dramatic moment because I've been interrupted during all my chances, and now that I get the best opportunity of my life, you won't listen to me?"

Absalom shrugged, keeping his eyes on the sea.

Dr. Hogback soon lowered his arms and sighed. "Very well, I'll talk, even if you don't listen." He turned back to his railing. "It's not like I was going to talk about our defeat anyways. Rather, this new battle. This war with Whitebeard. You and Moria have both proven to have accomplished battle skills. I, on the other hand, have nothing. Oz has been obliterated by those Straw Hats, and I'm beginning to question my usefulness. I doubt that, even after this Whitebeard event, I'll be much use. Now that Thriller Bark has been compromised, there isn't exactly a lot of places where a zombie army could be successfully cultivated. Moria has even proved to be far more intimidating when he wishes to be." He clenched his nearly clawed hands into the banister. "And you heard me say before, Absalom, that I will not let myself be a loser for the rest of my life because of this ridiculous innocent."

Absalom shrugged again. "You are expecting too much from life, Hogback. You make it sound like everything is so complicated." He shut his eyes and sighed, tilting his head up towards the sky. "As for me," he opened his eyes the slightest bit, "like you heard me say before, all I want in life is a bride."

Dr. Hogback didn't even turn around. "You know, I've said this before, too, all you would need to do is find a corpse to your liking in physical desires, and I could certainly see about reviving her."

Absalom flinched. He turned towards Hogback, a vein pulsing in the side of his head. "I've told you this before, too, I want a real, living, breathing, human bride!"

"Yes." Dr. Hogback lowered his head in thought. He would have probably been frowning, had his mouth not be surgically tied into a smile for all eternity. "You have said that before, I suppose I could understand your reasoning." He sighed. "Of course, you do not understand what it is like to watch the one you love die. That is why I have brought dear Cindry along with us."

Absalom's jaw dropped, his face beginning to pale. "You mean to tell me that you brought that weird dead lady's body to this ship while we were supposed to be looking for Perona. That sort of obsession is one hundred percent creepy, Hogback. Creepback!"

Sr. Hogback jumped, turning around, actually as though he were pinned against the railing. "Don't use that sort of tone with me, you perverted beast! Especially not after how much you obsessed over that Straw Hat girl! Besides, you don't understand the circumstances!" He placed a hand against his forehead, turning back to the sea. "No. You don't understand the circumstances after any fashion. You see, I had fallen in love with dear Cindry while she was still alive. I had found all mankind annoying but her. In fact, I was willing to put up with so many annoying, worthless patients just so I could build the fame and fortune to appeal to her. But she didn't love me. Not in life."

Absalom shuddered. "It's not like she particularly loved you after you had turned her into a zombie, either." He cast a sidelong glance at the doctor. "In fact, you certainly didn't act like you loved her either."

Dr. Hogback sniffed his bill-like nose a couple times, tears beginning to flood his sunglasses. "That's because it wasn't her. Even though I wanted to believe. It looked like her, and it didn't act like her. I pretended that she was alive and human, though, because I was under the impression that, if it moved, it lived." He pounded his fists onto the banister. "However, I was wrong."

Absalom yawned.

Dr. Hogback nodded. "I don;t need any of your snide comments, so I don't care whether you listen or not, you stupid animal!" He paused, letting his fists open loosely. "You probably wouldn't want to hear about an animal who's smarter than you, anyways." He paused for almost a full minute, his mouth hanging wide. "That deer. For years, I had been known as the greatest doctor in the world. However, that mere childish rookie who should never have even been fit to practice medicine was able to do something I couldn't even compare to."

Dr. Hogback stretched his back, so he could look at eh setting sun. "You know, in medicine, if the brain is functioning, we classify the person as alive. However, restarting a brain does not seem to actually restore life." He laced his fingers together and placed his chin on them. "That deer was able to help my dear Cindry to regain some of her memories from when she was alive. It makes me wonder what could happen if a shadow was placed into her body that could aid in restoring her memories. Certainly, at first, she would still be a zombie. But after a little effort, who knows what could happen. It could be the closest thing to restoring life as we'll ever get."

Absalom yawned, his mouth stretching wider than before. He turned his head to look from left to right.

Dr. Hogback sighed as he turned back around. He looked down at the unconscious body of Gecko Moria and shook his head. He took several steps towards the steering wheel. "It sounds like you're getting tired, Absalom, you pathetic creature. Lend me the steering wheel. I'm used to working at night."

Absalom raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I want some guy wearing sunglasses to steer the ship."

Dr. Hogback laughed. "Well, I guess I can;t blame you." He laughed harder. "Besides, at long as you're steering the ship, I at least know you haven't jumped overboard because you saw a mermaid or something."

Absalom stared blankly at the dark doctor.

The tip of Dr. Hogback's mouth began to twitch. "What?"

Absalom's eyes grew into hearts as he ran towards the side of the ship. "Mermaids? Where? Where? Why were you holding out on me, Hogback?"

Dr. Hogback jumped and ran towards the steering wheel. "You stupid animal! I didn't tell you to jump in the water. And don't let go of the steering wheel so suddenly!"

---

Okay, a bit of an awkward first chapter, but it's supposed to build up for the next. I just figured that Dr. Hogback at least deserved one dramatic moment in his One Piece career.

Stay tuned, though, there's still more to come.

Please, enjoy and review.


	2. Chapter 2

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 2: A Shadowy Operation

Dr. Hogback stood over the unconscious corpse pf Victoria Cindry, positioning her ever so slightly with his world famous eye for detail.

Gecko Moria clicked his shoes together a few times as he sat in the corner of the basement that he and his two crewmates decided to commandeer as their base for the time being. He sighed. "Hogback, you're making me tired with all of your work. Could you just decide how you want her laid out already?"

Absalom nodded, leaning against a wall. "Honestly, Hogback, you seem to take so much joy in repositioning Cindry." He shut his eyes and scratched his chin. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he grinned. "Cindjoy!"

Dr. Hogback gave the lion-faced man a mean look before returning to his tablebound subject. "Pardon me for the delay. I just want everything to go well. This is dear Cindry, after all."

Moria shrugged. "No kidding. I just hope you position faster than last time. I'd rather not have to wait a whole tiresome five hours again."

Dr. Hogback pushed Cindry's left foot ever so slightly and let his constant smile grow. "There. That should be perfect."

Moria rocked himself onto his feet and waddled over. "Finally." He paused and frowned slightly. "You know, I really don't understand your reasoning behind this. It's very unlike you."

Dr. Hogback raised an eyebrow. "Why? We've done nearly a thousand operations like this before."

His eyes closed, Mora nodded. "Yes. But using your own shadow? I mean, you do understand the consequences, right? Like you'll never be able to go out in the sun again."

Dr. Hogback placed his hands on his hips and laughed. "Don't worry about it, Moria. I have lived so long in darkness that I doubt I would last long in sunlight, anyways."

Moria raised an eyebrow, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I hope you realize that I'm not going to wait up for you when I decide to leave this town, just because of your new weakness."

Dr. Hogback froze for a moment, his jaw starting to slack slightly. He soon shook his head and clenched one of his fists. "It will be of no matter to me! With dear Cindry at my side, I will probably return to being the world famous genius doctor that I am."

Moria shrugged and sighed. "I guess it's been nice working with you, then. I can always find someone else who could stitch up zombies."

"That its, if we ever start the zombie business again." Absalom stepped up beside Dr. Hogback and added his sigh to the conversation. "Truthfully, I don't care for them, but they fight well." He paused, holding his chin. "Speaking of zombies, they gain the abilities of the people whose shadow they possess, right?"

Moria nodded. "That is true, meaning that if Hogback actually decided to stay with us, he and Cindry could produce zombies twice as fast."

"I don't know about a zombie factory." Absalom swatted Dr. Hogback on the back, laughing. "Hogback, here, probably just wants Cindry to know all of his belly dancing skills*." He laughed wildly.

Dr. Hogback jumped and looked as though he were ready to claw Absalom to ribbons. "Don't say such things about dear Cindry, my new nurse! If you want to be a pervert, then how about you go hunting for the local bathhouse or something?!"

Absalom blinked blankly a few times before smiling. "Hey, thanks for reminding me, Hogback. I better get going." He ran towards the stairs and up out of the building.

Dr. Hogback huffed as he turned back to the table. "Stupid, perverted beast. Sometimes I wonder why we even let him join."

Moria shrugged. "Eh, what can I say? He fights well, and that means I don't have to fight so hard. He started walking around the table. "Are we ready, then?"

Dr. Hogback nodded.

Moria smiled. "Then let's get started!" He reached down his hand and pulled the demented doctor's shadow off of the dimly lit floor. After holding it high above the doctor's own head, he picked up a pair of scissors and dashed the pieces of the shadow that connected it to Dr. Hogback's feet.

Dr. Hogback watched as his shadow was moved towards Cindry. However, before the shadow even touched the female corpse, his open mouth stiffened, and his unseen eyes rolled into the back of his head. His world going black, he collapsed backwards.

---

Dr. Hogback groaned as he lifted his head from the floor.

"About time you woke up. Honestly, some genius doctor, letting yourself slip into a coma like that. Rather pathetic if you ask me."

Dr. Hogback rubbed his head as he sat up. "Who dares to accuse the great Dr. Hogback of being anything but a genius?" He looked up to find himself eye-to-eye with a pair of big blue eyes. He gasped and jumped back, landing on his feet. "Dear Cindry! You are awake!"

Cindry laughed just like Dr. Hogback. "Yes, but I can't say the same for you." She shrugged and shook her head. "Oh well. Moria said you would be out for about forty-eight hours, but you were only out for forty-seven hours and forty-six minutes, so I guess you aren't completely pathetic."

Dr. Hogback jumped, waving his arms around frantically. "That's not nice to say, dear Cindry! Not nice at all!"

Cindry began shaking her arms in a similar fashion. "Hey, don't go blaming me for your mistakes."

Dr. Hogback stared at the living corpse for a moment, before something else came to mind. "Ah! Dear Cindry, are we allowed to use plates to eat with again?"

Cindry raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Don't you know that eating straight off of the table could lead to serious illness?" She shot her arms down her sides. "Are you honestly stupid enough to want to be sick?!"

Dr. Hogback laughed, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. "Ah! Of course not! There's just been a bit of hassle with plates lately." He laughed even louder. _Well, it looks as though she hasn't retained any memories from her last revival, so I guess I'm going to have to start from scratch._

---

Okay, now, before anyone starts throwing a fit, I'm going to explain what all I know about the Kage Kage no Mi. Or rather, the effects it has as far as making zombies goes. You see, this whole shadow transplant process apparently causes the 'donor' to pass into a coma which ordinarily lasts for two days, but can seemingly be ended if the 'donor' should be given cause to wake up by an outside force (that outside force being something along the lines of someone shaking them, but I don't fully understand how this works. That's why I didn't apply it to the chapter.). The corpse that receives the 'donated' shadow gains the primary personality and skills of the 'donor'. This explains the difference in behavior from when Cindry on Thriller Bar...!?

Wait a minute! Most of you people probably wouldn't be reading this story, if you didn't understand Gecko Moria's power. So why am I taking the time to explain?

*This is in reference to the manga, Volume 48, I believe, where Dr. Hogback must have exceptional belly dancing skills, as Absalom wishes for him to dance at his wedding reception... O.o ... I don't know! It was mentioned on the One Piece Wiki!

Oh well. Please, enjoy and review. There's still more to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 3: Bring Me To Life

Cindry and Dr. Hogback sat at a table in a cellar they had decided to rent for the time being. Hogback had tried to keep his arrival secret, but even in the sole time of a week, the rumor had already spread that he had made his return, and there were knocks on the door to the cellar every hour.

Cindry laced her fingers together and palmed her eyes, groaning. "Oh, good grief, will this madness never end? I don't even think that any of our customers have taken the time to notice that they have a zombie as a nurse."

"Uh-huh." Dr. Hogback tapped his fingertips together. "You know, from what I remember, that's not the way dear Cindry thought of others before."

Cindry raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I am 'dear Cindry', the delightfully attractive and genius associate of the genius doctor, Hogback."

Dr. Hogback jumped up. "Bu-bu-but, dear Cindry, this isn't how you used to be at all!"

Cindry stood up, slamming her hands on the table. "What are you talking about!? Blast it, Hogback, I'm a zombie! Don't you remember what Gecko Moria told you about zombies at all?!" She blinked a couple times before clearing her throat and sitting back down. She leaned back in her chair, laying her chin on her woven together hands. "I mean, once the shadow has been implanted, the zombie takes on the personality and the abilities of the person who originally owned the shadow." She sighed, wistfully gazing up at the covered lamp in the middle of the ceiling. "But then, the zombie will eventually lose their free will." She laughed. "In fact, in another week or so, I'll probably lose my free will completely, leaving me to be nothing more than your little mechanical meat puppet to do whatever you want." Her eyes flicked back to Dr. Hogback. "It's just the way things work. I can't change it, and you can't change it. So why do you keep insisting that there was a time before this when I interacted with you. You should realize that I have no memory whatsoever of my living life."  
"Yes. That is what Gecko Moria said." Dr. Hogback slowly sat down, feeling for his chair the whole time. "But I could have sworn that-" He paused, his mouth agape. "But what about my memories?"

Cindry let her chair fell onto all fours. "Your memories?"

Dr. Hogback held up a knowing finger. "As with abilities and personality, the shadow retains the memories of its original owner."

"Oh." Cindry frowned. "Truthfully, I didn't put a lot of stock in it. Like the free will, the memories won't last forever. The only memories which have stood out to me were for medical purposes, like the positions of important arteries and procedures for brain surgery and the such."

A knock was heard from the cellar door.

"Speaking of which," Cindry stood up, "I'll get that."

---

"Thank you again, Dr. Hogback," the old man said as he walked back to the stairs. He kicked his right leg in and out. "My arthritis was killing me."

Dr. Hogback jumped and clenched his fists. "Right. Right. Just don't kick it so harshly! You'll throw it out of whack again!"

The old man laughed, setting his foot down. "Of course. Sorry about that." He turned and walked up the stairs. "Thanks again."

As the door shut behind the old man, Cindry held up a wad of cash. "I bet you he throws that knee out of whack in three days." She flipped the bills with her thumb. "At least his money's good."

Dr. Hogback turned to Cindry, gawking. "Dear Cindry! Don't talk like that! That's not like you at all!"

Cindry sighed, placing the Beli on a nearby table. "This again? I already told you that I have no idea what sort of person this 'dear Cindry' of yours was." She pointed to herself. "Why can't you just be happy with me now?"

Dr. Hogback stepped closer to the female zombie. "But my memories. You admitted that you had them, did you not?"

Cindry raised an eyebrow, placing her fists on her hips. "Well, I suppose that is true. I did mention that I retained some of your memories."

Dr. Hogback placed his hands on Cindry's shoulders. "Then can you not simply access my memories of you from before."

Cindry rolled her eyes. "You are pathetic. How could the great genius Doctor Hogback stoop so low as to be such a hopeless chaser of fairy tales?"

Dr. Hogback furrowed his brow and growled. "You know, a great deal of humans would say zombies are little more than fairy tales."

Cindry's jaw slackened slightly. She averted her gaze and furrowed her own brow. "I guess that is true." She cast her gaze back at Dr. Hogback. "All right. Fine! If it will get you shut up about this psychotic rambling of yours, I'll try to see what I can remember." She closed her eyes and placed one of her hands on her temple. "Let's see..." He brow furrowed deeper, and veins began to bulge in her forehead.

Dr. Hogback loosened his grip and watched patiently, his mouth agape in anticipation.

"Let's see." Cindry massaged her temple. "According to your memories, I hated plates." Her eyes opened slightly as one of her eyebrows quirked high up. "And I was a lot meaner than I am now. At least I don't purposely attempt to hurt people now. I really don't understand what you're complaining about."

Dr. Hogback's sunglasses glinted in the lamp's light as he glared down at his undead associate. "That was the first time you were given life as a zombie. Try to think back to when you were alive."

"All right. All right." Cindry shut her eyes and began rubbing her other temple as well. "Give me some room, though. I can't focus so well with you heaving your wheezing breath at me."

"Okay." Dr. Hogback let go of the zombie and stepped back. "There! But there better be results."

Cindry ignored him. Her brow cinched up as veins began to pulse harshly. She almost looked pain, if it weren't for the fact that zombies couldn't feel pain. After nearly five minutes, she sighed and shrugged, letting her hands drop down to her hips. "I got nothing." She turned and stepped towards the make-shift cellar kitchen. "So what do you wa-"

Dr. Hogback grabbed Cindry's hand and gripped viciously. "Dear Cindry, there is something you aren't telling me."

Cindry turned around and pouted. "Oh, come on. I tried, but when you get nothing, you get nothing."

Dr. Hogback growled, tightening his grip. "If you know the rules of zombies, then you should know that zombies are supposed to do whatever their masters tell them to do."

"Ah, but I have some free will left." Cindry tugged her arm. "I don't need to do everything you tell me."

Dr. Hogback tugged the zombie back towards himself. "I'll confiscate your arm, if you don't tell me what you remember."

Cindry growled. "You just can't leave well enough alone, can you?" She crossed her free arm. "Fine. But I don't see what the big deal is. I used to be some pretty little starlet who was famous for her dancing and singing, and her generally kind to anyone, no matter who they were. It seems that I also had some highly attractive fiance, even though he was obviously worth nothing outside of his looks. Then I was stupid enough to go and jump off of the stage and die." She stepped towards the demented doctor. "However, if I remember correctly, after you had me resurrected, all you really cared about was my looks." She stroked Dr. Hogback's chin. "So what is the problem, if I'm not like that little celebrity prick?"

Hogback stared down at the former celebrity. "But before... I saw it."

"Blast it, Hogback!" Cindry pushed the doctor back. "Are you offended about having me as a zombie?" She growled. "Is there something wrong with me? I have the body. I'm just like you. I'm the perfect nurse! Can't you just accept that!?"

Dr. Hogback sighed. "At one point, yes, that would have been it." Tears began to brim at the sides of his covered eyes. "You wouldn't understand."

"Understand what?" Cindry pulled on her arm. "I have your memories! Last time I supposedly retrieved my memories, I wouldn't listen to you. I just smiled as we were about to die. For being so kind, I seemed pretty self-centered."

"I don't understand it, either." Dr. Hogback grabbed Cindry's other arm and pulled both hands close to himself. "In the name of science, though, you need to understand that the resurrection process is crucial to medical science."

"You're not obsessed with science. You worked that hard with medicine just so you could impress who I was!" Cindry pulled at her arms. "Let me go! This isn't fair!" Her mouth grew wider than ever before. "You know I could kill you!"

"For what purpose! Then you'd have no shadow to work of f of!" A few tears began falling down his cheeks. "Don't you get it, dear Cindry, I've tried to learn my lesson. I'm trying to be a better person!"

Cindry tugged at her arms harder as she watched the tears. "You haven't learned anything! Blast it! If you only cared about me for who I am, then I suppose I'd-" She roared, tugging harder than before.

The jerk forward launched several tears from the dark doctor's face to the zombie's chest.

Cindry's eyes shrunk. As the tears hit her, her eyes began to haze over. Her strength suddenly left her.

Dr. Hogback gingerly loosened his grip on the zombie's hands and wrists. "Dear Cindry!"

After a few moments, Cindry blinked a few times. "Dr. Hogback?" She looked around at herself. "Dr. Hogback, what have you done?"

Dr. Hogback gasped. "Dear Cindry?"

Cindry's knees buckled beneath her as tears began to emerge from her eyes. "Dr. Hogback, what have you done?!" Her tears fell freely as she dropped to the floor.

Dr. Hogback's jaw dropped as he stared down at the female corpse. "What have I done? I'm not sure."

---

Okay, I hope I'm not making Cindry or Dr. Hogback out of character here. It's easy to do so when you try to make a dramatic story for a pairing that isn't often written about. Of course, I guess that I only need to worry about Hogback's personality, as Cindry is working off his shadow for most of it.

The thing is, what will happen from here? This chapter didn't exactly end on a happy note, so what could the results possibly be for the next chapter. Stay tuned to find out.

Please, enjoy and review.


	4. Chapter 4

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 4: With a Grain of Salt

A ringing of a large bell echoed throughout the house. In response, not an old, but an older woman walked up to the door.

The door opened to reveal Dr. Hogback standing on the step. Though he wore his feathered cape, he had switched his fishnet for a white shirt, and a large stovepipe hat rested on his head. When jumped slightly as the door opened, his hands behind his back.

The woman blinked a couple times. "Oh, Doctor Hogback!"

Dr. Hogback nodded, pulling an arm from behind his back and using it to tip his hat. "Good evening. This was once the residence of the young Victoria Cindry, wasn't it? I'm afraid I didn't take as much time to memorize the addresses of my patients as I should have."

The woman nodded. "Yes. If I remember correctly, you had quite the liking for my daughter." She placed a thoughtful finger on her chin. "It surprised us that you didn't come to the funeral. It's been nearly fifteen years since then."

Dr. Hogback furrowed his brow. "Well, I suppose you could say that dear Cindry's death dealt a greater blow on me than I would have liked. In fact, I've been in hiding, researching a more advanced medical science."

Cindry's mother's eyebrows rose high. "Oh, really, what science was that?"

Dr. Hogback cleared his throat. "Well, perhaps I should introduce you to your granddaughter, first." He pulled his other arm from behind him, bringing a young blond girl in front of him."

Cindry's mother gasped. "She looks just like Cindry!" She looked up at Dr. Hogback. "But how?"

Dr. Hogback sighed. "It's an almost exaggeratedly long story, but if you feel like you can stay up late for this tale, I am willing to tell you everything. Everything pertaining to Cindry, that is."

Cindry's mother pulled the door open wide. "Come in. Come in. If it means any good news concerning my Cindry, I would go sleepless for days."

Dr. Hog back nodded, leading the young girl into the house.

---

Cindry's mother and father sat in separate chair, staring and gaping at Dr. Hogback.

Dr. Hogback took a slow, deep breath. "Yes, I suppose that it must be unbelievable."

Cindry's father shook his head, ridding his of his gape. "You mean to tell us that you stole our daughter's corpse and brought her to life?"

Dr. Hogback wove his fingers together and placed them on his knees. "I did."

Cindry's mother stared down at the sleeping girl leaning against Dr. Hogback. She pointed at the girl. "And that is our dear Cindry's child?"

Dr. Hogback nodded solemnly. "She is." He patted the sleeping girl's head. "Listen. I understand that my story might sound odd, but it is true. Of course, if you do believe it, and you believe that my actions were rash or of poor judgment, I am fully ready and willing to turn over custody of young Virginia Cindry to you."

Cindry's mother couldn't pull her gaze away from the eerily familiar appearance of the young girl. "Well, if Cindry were to have come to life, then how is it that she is not here?"

Dr. Hogback raised a knowing finger. "Well, that is a little bit more difficult to understand. You see, dear Cindry did not seem to have enjoyed being returned to life as much as I would have hoped. Well, in truth, some would say that the zombification process wasn't truly a restoration of life. However, soon after Virginia was born, she happened to have found some salt, which I had taken the greatest care to avoid letting into the household. However, salt returns a zombie to their lifeless corpse state. Before she had renounced her revived life, she had written a brief note that explained two she wanted to be placed in her original grave, and that I should inform you about what has gone on."

Cindry's mother folded her hands together. "You mean that Cindry didn't want to live?"

"Well, let me explain." Dr. Hogback clenched his teeth. "Now, I'm not going to give some sappy speech about how man shouldn't play God or anything like that." He adjusted his minuscule sunglasses. "Rather, as she took her second life herself, I suppose it is more of a question as to if someone were to have been in heaven for any stretch of time, would it be fair to bring them back to this wretched earth?"

Cindry's mother bowed her head. "I guess that is a good point."

Cindry's father nodded. "It would have been nice to have at least Cindry one last time."

"You'll see her again." Dr. Hogback leaned back into the couch, resting his hand on the young girl's head. "You'll see her again."

---

Well, I guess that's it. Whatever you thought of this story, good or bad, I'd like to hear comment about it.

I realize it's not exactly a fairy tale ending, but I figured Cindry never really approved of the craft of zombie-making anyway, so it'd end up tearing up Hogback's heart.

Anyways, tell me what you think.

Please, enjoy and review.


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